Two brothers from Felixstowe are in contention to be named fundraiser of the year for their fundraising efforts in honour of their father, who died from leukaemia.
We first met the Croarkin family back in February, when a fundraiser set up by their sons Jake and Logan, aged nine and seven at the time, shot up to almost £2,000 in less than 48 hours.
The boys were determined to raise funds for Leukaemia UK, after their father, Luke Croarkin, was diagnosed with leukaemia for the third time in November of 2023.
Luke had previously been diagnosed with leukaemia twice as a teenager.
Back then, Luke was found to be in remission after several years of blood and platelet transfusions, intensive chemo and radiotherapy, a stem cell transplant and a bone marrow transplant.
An Essex boy born and bred, Luke had spent his childhood and early adulthood in Southend.
He and Kirsty met through a mutual friend when they were 20 and made the move to Suffolk shortly after getting engaged.
They tied the knot on Kirsty’s 23rd birthday. At 26, they welcomed Jake, with Logan arriving two years later, completing the family of four.
After he was diagnosed with leukaemia for the third time, Kirsty and Luke were initially unsure how to explain his illness to the boys.
However, they decided that they would be as open as they could and answer any questions the children had.
They could not have been prouder of how their boys responded, showing positivity and a maturity beyond their years.
“We are so lucky to have them,” Luke told this paper in February as he shared how the boys kept his spirits high.
The boys were also inspired to spread awareness of leukaemia and funds which could go towards funding life-changing research.
Luke had been given access to a new drug called Gilteritinib, which had given him hope as he could no longer had radiotherapy and chemotherapy was ineffective.
With Kirsty’s help, the boys set up a Just Giving page, pledging to run 100km between them during March – and were bowled over when it amassed £1,940 in two days.
Luke continued to undergo treatment several months but would be told his leukaemia had spread.
Luke passed away with his family by his side on April 21, aged 36.
Right up until his final moments, Kirsty said that he was still putting his family first.
“Luke was so considerate of everybody else,” she said. “Even on the day he died, he was still speaking to everyone individually and checking everyone was ok.
“Right up until his last breath, he was asking, Are you ok? Do you need anything?
“That sums Luke up to a T. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. He always saw the good.”
To his boys, Luke was the dad who always had time to play, and loved taking them on adventures right from when they were babies.
The boys would say that Luke was the chef of the family, and it was a running joke that nobody could compete with his enormous Yorkshire Puddings, a secret recipe he never divulged.
The months after his death have been incredibly difficult for Luke’s family.
However, hearing from Just Giving has given them all something positive to focus on.
Last Monday, Kirsty received a call from the team, and was amazed to hear that her boys have been shortlisted as the platform’s Young Fundraisers of The Year, having made it to the last three hopefuls from a selection of 18,000.
The original fundraiser, which they had never closed, is now on almost £9,200.
“It was one of those moments when it was so lovely, but then I was devastated because Luke was so supportive of them doing this,” said Kirsty. “He was incredibly proud, and for them to get that but for him to not be here to see it is really hard. He’d want it for them.”
The boys, she said, have been immensely cheered by this news. Doing the run during March buoyed the spirits of the whole household, and they are hopeful to take on more challenges in the future, whether that be running or something else entirely.
Kirsty, Jake and Logan will find out if the boys have won at an awards ceremony taking place in September.
If you would like to vote for them, go to: www.justgiving.com/hub/happening-now/justgiving-awards/2024-young-fundraiser-of-the-year
To donate to their fundraiser, visit: www.justgiving.com/page/jakeandlogan-1708961503981
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